Mine-cable cutter.



N. PEDERSEN.

MINE CABLE CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. t8, 1915.

1,14%? l 4, Patelvlted Aug. 3, 1915.

d. @Mu

FFCE.

NIELS PEDERSEN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

MINE-CABLE GUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Auge, 1915.

Application led February 18, 1915. Serial No. 9,004.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NrELs PEDERSEN, a citizen of the Danish Monarchy, and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mine- Cable Cutters, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to devices or machines for cutting the anchor cables of fioating mines such as are used in war.

The object of the invention is to provide a mechanism comprising suitable cutting members and operating means therefor arranged and assembled to form a mine cable cutter adapted either to be secured as an attachment to a submarine or other suitable vessel, or to be constructed to be operated independently of any other vessel.

More particularlyT the object of the invention is to provide a mechanism comprising a plurality of cutting members adapted to cut the cables of floating mines, operating imeans for said cutting members and suitable guide or catch members for bringing the cable and the cutting member together.

Other objects will appear as this specification proceeds.

With these objects in view the invention comprises such combinations and arrangements of parts and elements as are hereinafter described while reference is had to the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a cable cutter embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a side view with the casing in section. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the cutter secured to a submarine with details omitted. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing a modification for operating one ofthe cutting members and Fig. 5 is a side view of a modified construction.

Referring to the drawing the various parts of the cable cutter are assembled and mounted within and upon a suitable supporting body or casing 10 adapted to be secured to a submarine or other suitable vessel and to be submerged therewith, or as stated the cutting device may be operated independently.

11 denotes a submarine and the securing means are represented as being stays or braces 12 joined by 'a clamping ring 13, fitted to the front end of the submarine. The securing means may of course comprise other suitable elements.

The forward end of the cable cutter is provided with catch or guide arms 14, 14

which may be of any suitable construction andI form. Preferably and as shown the arms 14 flare outwardly away from the casmg 10 and are adapted when encountering a mine cable 15 to guide the latter toward the cutters and to steer or guide the cable cutter toward the cable. The cutters are mounted near the forward end of the casing l0 and comprise a rotary saw blade 16 secured to a shaft 17 and rotating in thedrection of the arrow 18, Fig. 1.k y

19 represents acutting or shearing blade mounted to rotate in the direction of the arrow 20 on a shaft 21. Preferably the cutt1ng member 19 is slidably supported on an arm 22 secured to the shaft 21. To this end the arm 22 is provided with ways 23 in which the blade 19 slides.

24 is a compression spring for pulling the blade 19 toward the shaft 21 as will be understood. The blade is provided with a cutting edge 25.

The shafts 17 and 21 are operated from a motor 26 or other suitable prime mover which drives a gear 27.` Motion is transmitted from the gear 27 to the shaft 17 by means of the gear 28, shaft 29 and bevel gears 30 and 31, the latter being carried by the shaft 17. The shaft 21 is driven from the gear 27 by way of the gear 33, shaft 34, friction clutch 35, shaft 36 and bevel gears 37 and 38.

. 39 is a clutch spring for keeping the shafts 34 and 36 in driving engagement through the clutch 35 of any suitable construction. When, however, the blade 19 cuts a cable, thus offering a resistance preventing rotating of the shaft 21, the shaft 36 remains stationary while the shaft 34 continues to rotate, the clutch 35 slipping as is well understood. The gear 33 is preferably larger than the gear 27 in order that the cutter 19 may be rotated slower than the cutter 16.

The cable 40 from the motor leads to the submarine and constitutes a means for supplying current to the motor. During operthe reason for yieldngly mounting said blade. The cable will now be in the position about as shown-in Fig. 1. The saw will quickly cut the cable and the blade 19 will bite into the cable with a cutting, shearing motion. When the cable is cutY through the mine will rise to the surface of the water and may be exploded or otherwise rendered harmless. The -action of the blade 19 on the cable will not be sufficient to check the ascending movement of the mine, and the hunt for and cuttin of other cables-may be pursued. If desired, the blade 19 may be dull.

In case it is desirable to oscillate the blade 19 instead of rotating it, that is, to operate the blade from the position, in Fig. 3 across the saw to the opposite edge of the I latter and back, there may be interposed in the mechanism a cam disk 42 and crank disk 43 onthe shaft 21 to oscillate the latter from the shaft 36. Numerous devices exist for the purpose of changing a rotary movement to a 'reciprocating movement and the means 42 and 43 illustrate such va device diagrammatically.

44 is 'a supporting member in Fig. 4.

Fig. 5 illustrates a cable cutter for cutting y cables which lie on the bottom of the sea. lIn this instance the saw blade 16 is mounted upon the side of the body of the vessel 45 and 46 represents a two-armed rotary cutting member, the blades 47 yof which are provided with saw teeth at 48.I

49 represents means for securing the body 45 to another vessel. In this instance the device is operated along the bottom of the sea at a level to permit the blades 47 to pick up thecables and carry them to the saw blade and against the guide arm 50.

The blades in Figs. 3 and 5 are preferably mounted yieldingly like the blade in Fig. 1

.f but details are omitted for the sake of clearness.

As stated above, the body of the cutting device may be arranged as shown more particularly in Figs. 3 and 5 with means for securing it to a submarine or otherwise opemployed, and I claim all such other em` bodiments of the invention as properly come within the principle of the invention and y the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination of a supporting body, a cutting member supported adjacent the one end thereof, a second yieldingly mounted cutting member supported near said rst named cutting member and means for rotating said cutting members in opposite di-y rections.

l 2. The combination of a supporting body, a pair of guide arms secured to said body and diverging in a direction away from the same, a`rota saw blade mounted on said body and pro]ecting.beyond the edge thereof 4and over the converging ends of said guide arms, a rotating blade for pressing a mine cable against said rotary saw and means for operating the latter and the said blade.

3. The combination of a supporting body, cutting members mounted thereon to rotate in horizontal planes one above the other, guide arms on said body for guiding a mine cable toward said cutting members and means for operating the latter.

l4. The combination of a supporting body, I cutting members mounted thereon to rotate in horizontal planes one above the other,

guide arms on said body for guiding a mine cable toward said cutting members and means for operating the latter in opposite directions and at different rates of speed.

5. The combination of a supporting body, a pair of guide arms extending endwise thereof and diverging with respect thereto,

a pair of rotary cutting members mounted in a plane'centrally of said ide arms and means for rotating said cutting members.

Signed at New York city in the county of New `York and State of New York this 15th day of February A. D. 1915.

NIELS PEDERSEN.

Witnesses:

` IVAN KONIGSBERG,

K. G. LE ARD. 

